There are strong economic and business performance arguments driving the desire to see more women enter the IT workforce. The diversity and workforce lead for IBM Australia and New Zealand, Belinda Curtis, points to several studies demonstrating stronger corporate performance when women represent a high proportion of senior leadership or board positions.

Like most Year 10 girls, Rebekah Eden never planned on a career in the IT industry. Popular culture had conditioned her to believe that IT was all about lonely individuals hunched over computers for hours and hours on end. Instead, her studies were taking her towards a preferred career in forensic science. It was exposure to the industry through a week-long EXITE (Exploring Interest in Technology and Engineering) camp organised by IBM that changed her mind. During that week she was shown different aspects of the IT industry, from programming robots to developing websites. The experience completely changed her mind.

It’s high time that Australia’s IT industry started taking greater interest in developing its future leaders. Enter the Pathways ICT Leadership Development Program, created by the CIO Executive Council...

The more television people watch, the more they talk about those programs at work the next day. The problem is that much of what they view on TV isn't appropriate to discuss in the workplace, says employment law expert Shanti Atkins in this Q&A.

When it comes to hiring staff for his technology department, Joseph Seibert has a soft spot for candidates who are underdogs. He admires IT professionals who've charged ahead in their careers despite starting at a disadvantage.

Is it enough to lead an IT organization, especially a large and complex one, without any relevant IT background? Moreover, can this CIO find the right perspective to inspire and lead IT managers, analysts, and developers--and bridge the gap between technology and the business?

My vision is blurry. I've reviewed more than 40 résumés for a network administrator position, and less than half have made the cut. Although I rejected some candidates because of their lack of experience (or, rather, their lack of demonstrated required experience), others had errors in their application packages that lowered their ranking -- errors that could have been easily corrected.

Copyright 2018 IDG Communications. ABN 14 001 592 650. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of IDG Communications is prohibited.